Interest in reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactions involving them, as well as in antioxidants that block these reactions, has recently been growing rapidly, since the development of a wide range of chronic diseases in humans is associated with ROS. But within the framework of traditional concepts of biochemistry, it does not find a convincing explanation for the need for regular consumption of ROS with air (superoxide radical), water (hydrogen peroxide), food (Meillard reaction products) to increase the adaptive capabilities of the body, resistance to stress, and maintain high vital activity. The reasons for the high therapeutic efficacy of such strong oxidants as ozone and hydrogen peroxide with almost no side effects remain unclear. At the same time, almost no attention is paid to the unique feature of reactions involving ROS, i.e., their extremely high energy yield. It can be assumed that the absolute necessity of ROS for life and their beneficial therapeutic effect can be explained by the formation of electronically excited states during their reactions - triggers for all subsequent bioenergetic processes. The oscillatory mode of such reactions can cause the rhythmic flow of biochemical processes of a higher level. The pathogenetic effects of ROS can then be explained by dysregulation of both the processes of their generation and elimination.

Paradoxes of oxygen respiration.

The dynamics of the growth of scientific literature devoted to reactive oxygen species (ROS), free radicals, oxidative processes with their participation, speaks of the rapidly growing interest of biologists and physicians in them. Most publications on problems associated with reactive oxygen species emphasize their destructive effect on membranes, nucleic acids and proteins.

Since research on the role that ROS can play in biochemistry and physiology is dominated by a toxicological and pathophysiological bias, the number of publications on antioxidants is growing even faster than the total number of articles on ROS. If in the 25 years before 1990 the number of articles on antioxidants reviewed in Medline was less than 4500, then only in 1999 and 2000 it exceeded 6000.

At the same time, a huge array of data remains outside the field of view of most researchers, indicating the absolute need for ROS for vital processes. So, with a reduced content of superoxide radicals in the atmosphere, animals and humans become ill, and if they are absent for a long time, they die. The production of ROS normally takes 10-15%, and in special circumstances - up to 30% of the oxygen consumed by the body. It becomes clear that a certain “background” of ROS is necessary for the implementation of the action of bioregulatory molecules on cells, and ROS themselves can imitate the action of many of them. “Oxytherapy” is finding more and more widespread use - the treatment of a wide range of diseases by artificial air ionization of air, the treatment of blood with such extremely active forms of oxygen as ozone and hydrogen peroxide.

Thus, numerous empirical data are in conflict with the scheme that has developed in classical biochemistry, in which ROS are seen only as overactive chemical particles that can disrupt the orderly course of normal biochemical processes. At the same time, the main feature of reactions involving ROS, i.e., their extremely high energy yield, sufficient to generate electronically excited states, is not taken into account. But thanks to this particular feature, they can form a kind of bioenergy flows necessary to start, maintain, and streamline various biochemical and physiological processes. We assume that reactions involving ROS play a fundamental (from the word "foundation") role in the organization of the most complex network of bio-physico-chemical processes, which together correspond to the concept of "living organism". To substantiate this assumption, it is necessary to dwell at least briefly on the unique properties of oxygen and its active forms.

Special properties of the oxygen molecule and its transformation products.

Oxygen is absolutely necessary for all organisms, and especially for human life. Just a few minutes without oxygen leads to permanent brain damage. The human brain, which makes up only 2% of the mass of its body, consumes about 20% of the oxygen received by the body. It is believed that almost all O2 is consumed during oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria, but their content in the nervous tissue is no more, if not less, than in other energy-dependent tissues. Therefore, there must be another way of utilizing O2, and the brain must consume it more actively along this way than other tissues. An alternative to oxidative phosphorylation, the way of using O2 for energy production is its one-electron reduction. The properties of the O2 molecule, in principle, make it possible to obtain energy in this way as well.

Oxygen is unique among the molecules important for life. It contains 2 unpaired electrons in valence orbitals (M, where is an electron with a certain spin value), i.e. O2 is triplet in its ground state. Such particles have much more energy than molecules in the unexcited singlet state [M] when all their electrons are paired. O2 can become singlet only after receiving a considerable portion of energy. Thus, both the triplet and singlet states of oxygen are excited, energy-rich states. The excess energy of O2 (180 kcal / mol) is released when it is reduced to 2 water molecules, having received 4 electrons with hydrogen atoms, completely balancing the electron shells of both O atoms.

Despite the large excess of energy, O2 reacts with difficulty with the substances it oxidizes. Almost all electron donors available to it are singlet molecules, and a direct triplet-singlet reaction with the formation of products in the singlet state is impossible. If O2 in one way or another acquires an additional electron, then it can easily get the next ones. On the path of one-electron reduction of O2, intermediate compounds are formed, called ROS, due to their high chemical activity. Having received the first electron, O2 turns into the superoxide anion radical O2-. The addition of a second electron (along with two protons) turns the latter into hydrogen peroxide, H2O2. Peroxide, not being a radical, but an unstable molecule, can easily get a third electron, turning into an extremely active hydroxyl radical, HO, which easily takes away a hydrogen atom from any organic molecule, turning into water.

Free radicals differ from ordinary molecules not only in their high chemical activity, but also in that they generate chain reactions. Having “taken away” an available electron from a nearby molecule, the radical turns into a molecule, and the electron donor turns into a radical that can continue the chain further (Figure 1). Indeed, when free-radical reactions develop in solutions of bioorganic compounds, a few initial free radicals can cause damage to a huge number of biomolecules. That is why ROS are traditionally considered in the biochemical literature as extremely dangerous particles, and their appearance in the environment of the body explains many diseases and even sees them as the main cause of aging.

Targeted production of ROS by living cells.

All organisms are equipped with a variety of mechanisms for the targeted generation of ROS. The enzyme NADPH oxidase has long been known to actively produce “toxic” superoxide, behind which the entire gamma of ROS is generated. But until very recently, it was considered a specific affiliation of phagocytic cells of the immune system, explaining the need for ROS production in critical circumstances of protection against pathogenic microorganisms and viruses. It is now clear that this enzyme is ubiquitous. It and similar enzymes are found in the cells of all three layers of the aorta, in fibroblasts, synocytes, chondrocytes, plant cells, yeast, in kidney cells, neurons and astrocytes of the cerebral cortex O2- produce other ubiquitous enzymes: NO-synthase, cytochrome P- 450, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and the list continues to grow. It has recently been found that all antibodies are capable of producing H2O2; they are also ROS generators. According to some estimates, even at rest, 10-15% of all oxygen consumed by animals undergoes one-electron reduction, and under stress, when the activity of superoxide-generating enzymes increases sharply, the intensity of oxygen reduction increases by another 20%. Thus, ROS should play a very important role in normal physiology.

Bioregulatory role of ROS.

It turns out that ROS are directly involved in the formation of various physiological responses of cells to a particular molecular bioregulator. What exactly the reaction of the cell will be - whether it will enter the mitotic cycle, whether it will go towards differentiation or dedifferentiation, or whether the genes that trigger the process of apoptosis are activated in it, depends both on the specific bioregulator of a molecular nature that acts on specific cell receptors, and on the "context ”, in which this bioregulator operates: the prehistory of the cell and the background level of ROS. The latter depends on the ratio of rates and methods of production and elimination of these active particles.

The production of ROS by cells is influenced by the same factors that regulate the physiological activity of cells, in particular, hormones and cytokines. Different cells that make up a tissue react differently to a physiological stimulus, but individual reactions add up to the reaction of the tissue as a whole. So, factors affecting the activity of NADPH-oxidase of chondrocytes, osteoblasts stimulate the restructuring of cartilage and bone tissues. The activity of NADPH-oxidase in fibroblasts increases with their mechanical stimulation, and the rate of production of oxidants by the vascular wall is affected by the intensity and nature of the blood flow through them. When they suppress the production of ROS, the development of a multicellular organism is disrupted.

ROS themselves can mimic the action of many hormones and neurotransmitters. So, H2O2 in low concentrations mimics the action of insulin on fat cells, and insulin stimulates the activity of NADPH oxidase in them. Insulin antagonists, epinephrine and its analogues, inhibit NADPH oxidase in fat cells, and H2O2 inhibits the action of glucagon and adrenaline. It is essential that the generation of O2 and other ROS by cells precedes other events in the intracellular information chain.

Although there are many sources of ROS production in the body, their regular intake from the outside is necessary for the normal functioning of humans and animals. Even A.L. Chizhevsky showed that negatively charged air ions are necessary for normal life. It has now been established that Chizhevsky air ions are hydrated O2- radicals. And although their concentration in clean air is negligible (hundreds of pieces per cm3), but in their absence, experimental animals die within a few days with symptoms of suffocation. At the same time, air enrichment with superoxide up to 104 particles/cm3 normalizes blood pressure and its rheology, facilitates tissue oxygenation, and enhances the body's overall resistance to stress factors. . Other ROS, such as ozone (O3), H2O2, were used as early as the first third of the 20th century to treat a variety of chronic diseases, from multiple sclerosis to neurological pathologies and cancer. . Currently, they are rarely used in general medicine due to their alleged toxicity. Nevertheless, in recent years, especially in our country, ozone therapy is becoming more and more popular, and the use of intravenous infusions of diluted H2O2 solutions is also beginning.

Thus, it becomes clear that ROS are universal regulatory agents, factors that have a beneficial effect on vital processes from the cellular level to the level of the whole organism. But if ROS, unlike molecular bioregulators, do not have chemical specificity, how can they provide fine regulation of cellular functions?

Free radical reactions are sources of light impulses.

The only way to interrupt the dangerous radical chain reactions in which all new bioorganic molecules are involved is the recombination of two free radicals with the formation of a stable molecular product. But in a system where the concentration of radicals is very low and the concentration of organic molecules is high, the probability of two radicals meeting is negligible. It is remarkable that oxygen, which generates free radicals, is almost the only agent that can eliminate them. Being a bi-radical, it ensures the reproduction of mono-radicals, increasing the likelihood of their meeting. If the radical R interacts with O2, the peroxyl radical ROO is formed. It can snatch a hydrogen atom from a suitable donor, converting it into a radical, while itself becoming a peroxide. The O-O bond in peroxides is relatively weak, and under certain circumstances it can break, giving rise to 2 new radicals, RO and HO. This event is called delayed (relative to the main chain reaction) branching of chains. New radicals can recombine with others and break the chains they lead (Figure 2).

And here it is necessary to emphasize the unique feature of radical recombination reactions: the energy quanta released during such events are comparable to the energy of photons of visible and even UV light. Back in 1938, A.G. Gurvich showed that in the presence of oxygen dissolved in water in a system where chain free-radical processes occur with the participation of simple biomolecules, photons in the UV region of the spectrum can be emitted, which can stimulate mitoses in cell populations (therefore, such radiation was called mitogenetic). When studying ROS-initiated autoxidation processes in aqueous solutions of glycine or glycine and reducing sugars (glucose, fructose, ribose), we observed super-weak emission from them in the blue-green region of the spectrum and confirmed Gurvich's ideas about the branched-chain nature of these reactions.

A.G. Gurvich was the first to discover that plants, yeasts, microorganisms, as well as some organs and tissues of animals serve as sources of mitogenetic radiation in a "calm" state, and this radiation is strictly oxygen-dependent. Of all animal tissues, only blood and nervous tissue possessed such radiation. Using modern photon detection technology, we fully confirmed Gurvich's statement about the ability of fresh, undiluted human blood to be a source of photon emission even in a calm state, which indicates continuous generation of ROS in the blood and recombination of radicals. With artificial excitation of immune reactions in the blood, the intensity of the radiation of whole blood increases sharply. It has recently been shown that the intensity of radiation from the brain of a rat is so high that it can be detected by highly sensitive equipment even on a whole animal.

As noted above, a significant part of O2 in the body of humans and animals is reduced by a one-electron mechanism. But at the same time, the current concentrations of ROS in cells and the extracellular matrix are very low due to the high activity of enzymatic and non-enzymatic mechanisms for their elimination, known collectively as "antioxidant protection". Some elements of this protection operate at a very high speed. Thus, the speed of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase exceeds 106 revolutions/sec. SOD catalyzes the dismutation (recombination) reaction of two superoxide radicals with the formation of H2O2 and oxygen, while catalase decomposes H2O2 to oxygen and water. Usually, attention is paid only to the detoxifying effect of these enzymes and low molecular weight antioxidants - ascorbate, tocopherol, glutathione, etc. But what is the point of intensive generation of ROS, for example, by NADPH oxidase, if its products are immediately eliminated by SOD and catalase?

In biochemistry, the energy of these reactions is usually not considered, while the energy yield of one act of superoxide dimsutation is about 1 eV, and that of H2O2 decomposition is 2 eV, which is equivalent to a quantum of yellow-red light. In general, with the complete one-electron reduction of one O2 molecule, 8 eV is released (for comparison, we point out that the energy of a UV photon with lambda = 250 nm is 5 eV). At maximum activity of enzymes, energy is released at a megahertz frequency, which makes it difficult to quickly dissipate it in the form of heat. Useless dissipation of this valuable energy is also unlikely because its generation takes place in an organized cellular and extracellular environment. It has been experimentally established that it can be radiatively and nonradiatively transferred to macromolecules and supramolecular ensembles, and used as an activation energy or to modulate enzymatic activity.

Radical recombination, both in delayed branch chain reactions (Fig. 2) and mediated by enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, not only provides high-density energy to drive and maintain more specialized biochemical processes. They can support their rhythmic flow, since self-organization occurs in processes involving ROS, which manifests itself in the rhythmic release of photons.

Oscillatory modes of reactions involving ROS.

The possibility of self-organization in redox model reactions, expressed in the appearance of oscillations of the redox potential or color, was shown long ago using the Belousov-Zhabotinsky reactions as an example. The development of an oscillatory regime during catalysis of the oxidation of NADH with oxygen by peroxidase is known. However, until recently, the role of electronically excited states in the occurrence of these oscillations was not taken into account. It is known that in aqueous solutions of carbonyl compounds (for example, glucose, ribose, methylglyoxal) and amino acids, oxygen is reduced, free radicals appear, and their reactions are accompanied by photon emission. Recently, we have shown that in such systems, under conditions close to physiological, an oscillatory radiation regime occurs, which indicates the self-organization of the process in time and space. It is significant that such processes, known as the Meilard reaction, continuously occur in cells and non-cellular space. Figure 3 shows that these oscillations do not decay for a long time and can have a complex shape, i.e. are pronounced non-linear oscillations.

The influence of classical antioxidants, for example, ascorbate, on the nature of these oscillations is interesting (Figure 4). It was found that under conditions when pronounced radiation oscillations do not occur in the system, ascorbate at a negligible concentration (1 μM) contributes to their appearance and, up to a concentration of 100 μM, sharply increases the overall radiation intensity and oscillation amplitude. Those. it behaves like a typical pro-oxidant. Only at a concentration of 1 mM, ascorbate acts as an antioxidant, significantly lengthening the lag phase of the process. But when it is partially consumed, the radiation intensity increases to maximum values. Such phenomena are characteristic of chain processes with degenerate branches

Oscillatory processes involving ROS also occur at the level of whole cells and tissues. Thus, in individual granulocytes, where ROS are generated by NADPH oxidases, the entire set of these enzymes is "turned on" strictly for 20 seconds, and in the next 20 seconds the cell performs other functions. Interestingly, in cells from septic blood, this rhythm is significantly disturbed. We found that oscillatory modes of photon emission are characteristic not only for individual cells, but also for suspensions of neutrophils (Figure 5A) and even for undiluted whole blood, to which lucigenin is added, an indicator of the generation of superoxide radical in it (Figure 5B). It is essential that the observed fluctuations are of a complex, multilevel nature. The oscillation periods range from tens of minutes to their fractions (inset in Fig. 5A).

The significance of the oscillatory nature of both regulatory and executive biochemical and physiological processes is only beginning to be realized. More recently, it has been proven that intracellular signaling, carried out by one of the most important bioregulators, calcium, is caused not just by a change in its concentration in the cytoplasm. Information lies in the frequency of oscillations of its intracellular concentration. These discoveries require a revision of ideas about the mechanisms of biological regulation. Until now, when studying the reaction of a cell to a bioregulator, only its dose (signal amplitude) was taken into account, it becomes clear that the main information lies in the oscillatory nature of the change in parameters, in amplitude, frequency and phase modulations of oscillatory processes.

Of the many bioregulatory substances, ROS are the most suitable candidates for the role of triggers of oscillatory processes, because they are in constant motion, more precisely, they are continuously generated and die, but when they die, electronically excited states are born - impulses of electromagnetic energy. We assume that the mechanisms of the biological action of ROS are determined by the structure of the processes in which they participate. By the “structure of processes” we mean the frequency-amplitude characteristics and the degree of phase consistency of the processes of generation and relaxation of EVS accompanying reactions of ROS interaction with each other or with singlet molecules. The generated electromagnetic impulses can activate specific molecular acceptors, and the structure of EMU generation processes determines the rhythms of biochemical, and at a higher level, physiological processes. This, probably, explains the specificity of the action of ROS, these agents that are extremely nonspecific from a chemical point of view. Depending on the frequency of their birth and death, the structure of EMU generation processes should change, and, therefore, the spectrum of acceptors of this energy will also change, since different acceptors - low molecular weight bioregulators, proteins, nucleic acids can perceive only resonant frequencies.

Our assumption allows us to explain many disparate phenomena from a unified standpoint. Thus, the role of antioxidants seems to be much richer than in the framework of traditional ideas. Of course, they prevent nonspecific chemical reactions that damage biomacromolecules in the presence of excessive ROS production. But their main function is to organize and ensure the diversity of process structures involving ROS. The more instruments in such an "orchestra", the richer its sound. Perhaps that is why herbal therapy, vitamin therapy and other forms of naturopathy are so successful - after all, these "food supplements" contain a variety of antioxidants and coenzymes - generators and acceptors of EMU energy. Together they provide a full and harmonious set of rhythms of life.

It becomes clear why for normal life it is necessary to consume at least negligible amounts of ROS with air, water and food, despite the active generation of ROS in the body. The fact is that full-fledged processes involving ROS sooner or later die out, since their inhibitors, free radical traps, gradually accumulate in the course of them. The analogy here can be seen with a fire, which is extinguished even in the presence of fuel, if the products of incomplete combustion begin to take away more and more energy from the flame. The ROS entering the body act as "sparks" that rekindle the "flame" - the generation of ROS by the body itself, which allows the products of incomplete combustion to be burned. Especially many of these products accumulate in a sick body, and therefore ozone therapy and hydrogen peroxide therapy are so effective.

Rhythms that occur during the exchange of ROS in the body, to one degree or another, also depend on external pacemakers. The latter include, in particular, oscillations of external electromagnetic and magnetic fields, since reactions involving ROS are, in essence, unpaired electron transfer reactions occurring in an active medium. Such processes, as follows from modern concepts of the physics of nonlinear self-oscillatory systems, are very sensitive to very weak in intensity, but resonant influences. In particular, processes involving ROS can be the primary acceptors of abrupt changes in the strength of the Earth's geomagnetic field, the so-called geomagnetic storms. To some extent, they can respond to low-intensity but ordered fields of modern electronic devices - computers, cell phones, etc., and if their rhythm of processes involving ROS is weakened and depleted, such external influences, with certain characteristics, increase the probability of uncoupling and chaotization of biochemical and physiological processes dependent on the generation of electronically excited states.

instead of a conclusion.

The above analysis of empirical data related to such a “hot” topic of reactive oxygen species and antioxidants led us to conclusions that, to a certain extent, contradict the currently dominant approaches to solving medical problems. We cannot rule out that some of the above assumptions and hypotheses will not be fully confirmed when they are experimentally verified. But, nevertheless, we are convinced that the main conclusion: processes involving ROS play a fundamental bio-energy-information role in the formation and implementation of life is true. Of course, like any other mechanism, the fine mechanism of processes involving ROS can be disturbed. In particular, one of the main dangers for its normal functioning may be the lack of oxygen in the environment where it flows. And it is then that those processes begin to develop that pose a real danger - the spread of chain radical reactions, in which many biologically important macromolecules are damaged. As a result, giant macromolecular chimeras arise, which include atherosclerotic and amyloid plaques, age spots (lipofuscin), other sclerotic structures, and many still poorly identified ballast, or rather, toxic substances. The body fights them by intensifying the production of ROS, but it is in ROS that they see the cause of the pathology and seek to eliminate them immediately. One can, however, hope that a deeper understanding of the diverse mechanisms of oxygen utilization by humans and animals will help to effectively deal with the causes, and not the consequences of diseases, which often reflect the body's own efforts in the struggle for life.

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According to the site: http://www.gastroportal.ru/php/content.php?id=1284

Lecture at the XVI school-seminar "Modern problems of physiology and pathology of digestion", Pushchino-on-Oka, May 14-17, 2001, published in Appendix No. 14 to the Russian Journal of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Coloproctology "Materials of the XVI session of the Academic School-Seminar named after A .M. Ugolev "Modern problems of physiology and pathology of digestion", 2001, volume XI, No. 4, pp. 128-136

Vladimir Leonidovich Voeikov (b. 1946), a biophysicist with chemical thinking, unexpectedly came to the conclusion that Oparin's approach contains much more value than was thought in the last half century. Of course, we are not talking about the “principle of the Heffalump” (p. 7-2*), but about the fact that, as it turns out, many reactions of biopoiesis could indeed take place in the “primary broth”. First of all, these could be the reactions of polycondensation (polymerization with the expenditure of energy and the release of water), the source of energy for which is the mechanical movement of water. When it moves through ultrafine pores, it dissociates, and hydroxyls form hydrogen peroxide in unexpectedly large (over 1%) concentrations; it serves as an oxidizing agent. Part of the peroxide decomposes into O2 and H2.
For these reactions to be irreversible, a runoff of products is required. During polycondensation, it is achieved by changing the environmental conditions; and when peroxide decomposes, O2 and H2 go into the atmosphere, where O2 remains at the bottom and serves as the main oxidizing agent (Voeikov V.L. Reactive oxygen species, water, photon, and life // Rivista di Biology / Biology Forum 94, 2001).
Polycondensation is one of the forms of primary self-organization, the possible mechanisms of which Voeikov considered in his doctoral dissertation (Biofaq Moscow State University, 2003).
However, the problems of biopoiesis as a whole, of course, are not solved by this: we still need to understand how and why polymers can be assembled into what is needed for life. Leningrad physiologists D.N. Nasonov (a student of Ukhtomsky) and A.S. Troshin (a student of Nasonov), and soon Gilbert Ling (arrived in the USA from China), developed the concept of a cell in the middle of the 20th century, largely about
contrary to conventional wisdom. The main thing for us in it is that the cell is not a solution held by its shell, but a jelly-like structure (gel), the activity of which determines the work of the cell.
At present, this theory6^ is very advanced and provides insight into many questions of cytology. The basis of the operation of all cellular mechanisms (transport of ions across the cell boundary, cell division, chromosome segregation, etc.) is recognized as a local phase transition.
If we admit that the cell cavity is not a solution, but a gel, then the whole problematic of biopoiesis changes: instead of idle thoughts about how the first set with the qualities necessary for this model of biopoiesis could have formed from the molecules of the "broth", a rather real task is posed - to understand how the gel complex necessary for the birth of life was arranged.
It should not be thought of as a cell and it is better to call it an eobiont (this term was suggested in 1953 by N. Piri).
The first difficulty of biopoiesis, which disappears in the concept of a gel: the required concentrations of substances and their ions are set not by the shell of the eobiont, but by its very structure. No "pumps" are needed to start life.
The second difficulty - how the first proteins and nucleic acids formed into the necessary helical structures - disappears when the fact is clarified that the spirals are set by the quasi-crystalline structure of water.
The main thing is that water shows the very activity on which all living things are based. It manifests itself in two completely different forms at once: firstly, the structure of water determines the spatial structure of macromolecules and organizes their interaction, and secondly, water serves as a source and carrier of reactive oxygen species (ROS) - this is the general designation for particles containing oxygen with unpaired electron (hydroxyl, hydrogen peroxide, ozone, C2, etc.).
The quenching of ROS, achieved by pairing two unpaired electrons when two free radicals are combined, is, according to Voeikov, the main and historically the first source of life energy (ATP appeared later - see paragraphs 7-7 **). ROS appear all the time and immediately disappear - either they are used in the metabolic reaction, or, if there is no such need at the moment in this place, they are simply extinguished; moreover, there are special mechanisms for quenching in the cells of all organisms.
This process of the birth and death of ROS reminds me of fluctuations in the quantum vacuum (Voeikov agreed with this analogy).
61 This is how the American physical chemist Gerald Pollack calls his construction (Pollack G.H. Cells, gels and engines of life; a new, unified approach to cell function. Seattle (Washington), 2001; a Russian edition under the editorship of V.L. Voeikov is being prepared). In fact, we are talking about one aspect of the future theory: an abstract cell is considered; cell diversity (eg, ways of dividing) is ignored, and it is not clear how to include it in this concept. The role of the membrane and the early evolution of the cell are oversimplified.

The main oxidizable biochemistry substrate is highly structured water, the oxidation product is weakly structured water, and the energy source is ROS quenching. The act of structuring water is an act of energy accumulation, the act of its destructurization releases energy for a biochemical reaction. It can be said that it was the inclusion of this process in the reactions of the geochemical cycle, which led to the complication of substances, that marked the transition of chemical activity into biochemical one. For more details, see: [Voeikov, 2005]. If we recall that the oxidation of substrates for the purpose of metabolism is called respiration, then Voeikov’s thesis

“Life is the breath of water” is quite acceptable. Of course, this is not a definition of life, but an indication of the first and main bioenergetic process, as well as the main direction in the search for a solution to the mystery of the birth of life.
To begin with, a coacervate is a tiny portion of an aqueous gel, but the gel can also fill a large structure (for example, a puddle). If we add that ROS abound above water, in water, and in gel, then, as we shall see, the problem of the initial stages of biopoiesis is greatly simplified.

Professor at Moscow State University Lomonosov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Biophysicist, Water Specialist (Russia)

In 1968 V. L. Voeikov graduated from the Faculty of Biology of Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov with a diploma with honors in the specialty "Biophysics".AT 1971 theredefended a dissertation for the degree of candidate biological sciences. From 1971 to 1975 he worked as a junior researcher. C1975 - Associate Professor of the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University. M.V. Lomonosov, andfrom 2003 to the present - professor . From 1978 to 1979, he did research work in the Department of Biochemistry and Medicine at Duke University, North Carolina, USA under the supervision of Professor Robert Lefkowitz (Nobel Laureate 2014).

In 2003 he defended his doctoral thesis at Moscow State University dissertation “Regulatory functionreactive oxygen species in blood and in water model systems” in the specialties of Physiology and Biophysics.

In 2007 he was awarded the 1st prize named after. Jacques Benveniste at the 7th International Crimean Conference "Space and Biosphere";In 2013 he was awarded the PRIGOGIN Gold Medal established by the University of Siena and the Wessex Institute of Technology (Great Britain);

V.L. Voeikov supports and continues the ideas of such scientists as Erwin Bauer , Alexander Gurvich , Albert Szent-Györgyi , Simon Shnol , Emilio del Giudice, constantly collaborates with J. Pollack (University of Washington, Seattle, USA), M. Chaplin (Professor of Applied Science, London South Bank University, UK).

Main areas of scientific interests Vladimir Leonidovich: physical and chemical bases of biological activity, free radical and oscillatory processes in water and their role in bioenergetics. V.L. Voeikov is an honorary worker of the Higher Education of the Russian Federation, a member of the Scientific Council of the International Institute of Biophysics in Neuss (Germany), a member of SPIE(International Society for Optical Technology, USA) and the All-Russian Biochemical Society.

Main areas of work research group headed by V.L. Voeikov:

— model photobiochemical reactions, including the Gurvich reaction and Maillard reaction ;

– work with live blood, aimed at identifying the systemic characteristics of blood, identified by the nature of biophoton emission and by the parameters of the dynamics of erythrocyte sedimentation;

— impact on living systems and non-equilibrium water systems of ultra-low concentrations of biologically active substances and ultra-weak electromagnetic radiation;

— redox and oscillatory processes in water systems. The work aims to confirm the key role of waterin life processes, in particular in bioenergetics.

We met with Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor of Moscow State University Vladimir Leonidovich Voeikov to talk about water, which remains a riddle of riddles for scientists even in the 21st century. True, the least was said about water.

- Vladimir Leonidovich, what kind of phenomenon is this - water?

First of all, it must be said that the word "water" usually means completely different phenomena. For example, there is fresh water, salt water, sea water, physicists are now carried away by computer simulations of water. Usually people characterize water by assuming that it is H 2 O plus something else. I am interested in water, which is related to life, since everything that we call life is water in the first place.

Water is a complex system, more precisely, a huge collection of systems that pass from one state to another. It is even better to say: not a system, but an organization. Because the system is something static, and the organization is dynamic, it develops. Vladimir Ivanovich Vernadsky meant by organization something that, on the one hand, is conservative, and, on the other hand, is changeable. Moreover, these changes do not occur randomly, but purposefully.

The manifestations of water are diverse. For example, there are cases when water burned the radar: the radar beam, reflected from the cloud and returning, burned the receiving device. Consequently, an incomparably large amount of energy returned from the cloud! Modern science cannot explain this. A cloud is particles of water. In liquid water, there is always some part that forms coherent domains, that is, regions in which water molecules oscillate coherently and behave like a laser body. The radar beam, hitting the cloud, makes the water in it non-equilibrium, and this excess energy is either given back by the cloud to the radar and burns it, or dissipates.

- And why did nature create such non-equilibrium water?

The question "why?" goes beyond science.

- It turns out that we know very little about water?

One more example. We know that mountain rivers are always cold: even if it is hot in the valley through which the river flows, the water still remains cold. For what? This is usually explained by the fact that there are glaciers in the mountains, there are springs along the way, and in general it moves. But there may be another explanation. What do we mean by "cold", "warm", "hot"? temperature. And where does the temperature that we measure with a thermometer come from? The molecules of the medium move, collide with each other, and energy is released, which is what we measure with a thermometer. Now let's see how fast the molecules move in one direction and what the thermometer will show if we try to measure the temperature of the flow. Molecules begin to move at similar speeds and “suck out” energy from the environment. It turns out that the temperature of the mountain stream is extremely high, and at the same time it is icy! Paradox! Temperature - and temperature ... A fast river cools down, although it must heat up due to friction ... That is, the water is cold, because the molecules stop knocking against each other! And the temperature of the directional flow is another. This explains the misunderstanding of the processes occurring in water. Water is inherently non-equilibrium, therefore, it can naturally produce work. But in order for everything that is not in equilibrium to be able to produce work, conditions must be created. And an organization can create conditions.

- There are ideal forms, such as Platonic solids. How is water organized?

The ideal bodies that Plato spoke of are unattainable in nature. These are abstract constructions, ideas. If such bodies are considered in nature, then they will begin to interact, knock against each other and cease to be ideal.

- But they seek to restore their forms?

They strive to strive, but when something strives to restore its form, this is already a dynamic phenomenon. And this is not Plato, but Aristotle. Aristotle has this desire and has a causa finalis - the ultimate goal, which has been thrown out of modern science.

It all started with the fact that scientists began to describe real phenomena and reduced everything to the study of cause-and-effect relationships. And now a science is called normal, in which a paradigm has been established, based on the idea that there is a causal relationship and there is no aspiration.

- But not everyone thinks so, perhaps there are other approaches?

Life is impossible without striving, and it is quite difficult to deny the existence of life, because wherever you look, you observe life itself in one way or another. True, I immediately want to dry the flower, make a stuffed animal out of a gopher ... And, of course, the most wonderful of all sciences is paleontology, because I put the skeleton in the museum, covered it with varnish, and it stands and will not collapse. And biology should deal with life and the most remarkable phenomenon of life - development. Development from simple to complex, from incoherent to connected, from monotonous to diverse. And all this happens spontaneously.

- And the goal?

And the purpose of life is to save life. The goal is to add life. Because the more life, the harder it is to destroy. In 1935, Erwin Bauer published Theoretical Biology, in which he formulated three basic principles of life. Bauer's first principle sounds like this: all living and only living systems are never in equilibrium. And they use all their excess energy in order not to slip into balance.

- What then is the role of science, scientist?

I'll tell you what the purpose of science is. Academician Berg, a Russian geographer, geologist, zoologist, introduced the term "nomogenesis" (that is, development according to laws) in opposition to Darwinism. According to Darwin, there was no development, since the word "development" means unfolding according to a plan, unfolding. The same with evolution, which, in fact, is purposeful development.

The scientist tells how the world works and how a person works. The study of the world interests us, by and large, from an egoistic point of view: we want to understand our place in this world. Since a living person studies the world, he has a question about the purpose of existence. As soon as the question of the purpose of existence disappears, that's all ...

- What all"?

Life ends. Indifference, man does not care. Goals are different, and they stimulate life. As soon as a person loses his purpose in life, he ceases to exist. Darwin never used the word "evolution". He was interested in the origin of diversity. Diversity is not the equivalent of evolution. You can build different buildings from the same bricks, but this will not be evolution ...

- It seems to me that today this is not the most popular point of view.

I agree. Why is this approach unpopular? Science does not raise questions of morality and ethics. What is morality and morality in the laws of gravity, the laws of gravitation? But the correct occupation of science and the elucidation of the laws of the universe surprisingly leads to the substantiation of the deep questions of morality and morality. Why do morality exist? What is the meaning of morality and ethics? What about life support? Morality and morality are necessary for our life to be preserved.

- It turns out that Nature, God - say whatever you want - is laid down so that a moral law lives in the soul of a person?

Quite right. Another thing is that it is not science that directly deals with morality and morality, but, for example, religion. But the universe can be viewed from different points of view: it can be from the point of view of the Creator, or it can be from the point of view of creation. Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov spoke about this.

- Can religious knowledge be useful to scientists?

Is it possible to study astronomy or other sciences from the Bible?.. Let me give you an example. On the third day of Creation, God created the luminaries: large and small. For what? In order to separate the day from the night, so that there would be signs. When did he create flora? On the second day. Without the sun? Is it complete nonsense? But no ... About 30 years ago, the so-called black smokers were discovered at the bottom of the ocean - entire ecosystems that have never seen any sun in their lives, and there are animals with a circulatory system. And what, the Sun gave rise to these energy systems?.. Then we must assume that the Earth also warmed up due to the Sun. Only here geographers and geologists will already object. Because the Earth is warm not because the Sun warmed it. It is written in the textbooks that all the energy from the Sun is photosynthesis, glucose, CO 2 and H 2 O + the sun and so on, remember, I guess. But let's go down to the bottom of the ocean: there is no photosynthesis there, but there are animals, and they did not descend from land to a five-kilometer depth.

- Who gives them energy for life?

Water! The synthesis of CO 2 and H 2 O occurs only when there is an activation energy. And in water, which is initially non-equilibrium, this energy exists, regardless of whether there is a sun or not. And, by the way, what preceded the flora? About the first day of Creation it is written: "And the Spirit of God hovered over the waters." The translation, as I recently learned, is incorrect: "The Spirit of God moved with the waters." “Worn” does not mean “tossed about”, in its origin this word is related to the word “hen”. The Spirit of God energy-information organized water, that's what it can mean. It turns out that water is conceived as the basis of the universe.

- You want to say that all modern scientific discoveries were once known to someone?

A scientist discovers laws, but does not invent, does not invent patterns. Language is very difficult to deceive. There is a word "invention", this is when you have gained from something. And there is the word "discovery" - I open a book and make a discovery for myself.

Once this happened to me. I came across a book by the Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the founder of modern embryology, Karl Bern, “Reflections while Observing the Development of a Chicken”, written in 1834. The book was published in 1924, with uncut pages. I brought it to the department of embryology and showed it to my colleagues - I made a discovery, discovered a thing unknown to them.

- What is this book about?

About the very final goal to which everything aspires. Bern studied the development of the chick embryo at different stages. And I discovered a paradox: the eggs are exactly the same, but the embryos are different. Where is the norm? If one embryo is the norm, then all the rest are freaks? But what is interesting - then all the chickens hatch the same. It turns out that everyone goes their own way towards a single goal, and this has nothing to do with genetics. It is quite clear that they are initially in different conditions: one egg is on the edge of the masonry, the other is inside ... They cannot be in the same conditions, this is the law of diversity. But then everything “pulls together” towards a single goal. In this case, we cannot say that the development of chick #77 is correct and chick #78 is not. In fact, science often unifies everything.

- This is one of the problems of education ...

It is difficult to avoid this: it is impossible to assign a teacher to each student. But you need to understand that sometimes we have to simplify, unify, and we do this not for the benefit of a particular person, but contrary to his individuality and in order to have time to cover as much as possible.

- Let's get back to the mysteries of water.

Another interesting experiment. We take dry soil, fill it with water and put it in front of a photomultiplier - the device captures a flash of light. This means that if water falls on parched earth, besides the fact that the soil is moistened, light is also emitted in it! You cannot see it with your eyes, but all seeds, all microorganisms receive an impulse to respiration, to further development. Again, we came to the same conclusion: water and the earth's firmament, when interacting, give the energy of shaping.

- Blimey!

Another interesting observation. It is known that carbon exists in two crystalline modifications - graphite and diamond. Graphite is a more non-equilibrium state of carbon than diamond.

In order for a diamond to appear in nature, the impact of colossal pressures is necessary, and in our body carbon has a diamond structure. Initially, carbon appears in the CO 2 compound, which does not have a diamond configuration, however, when combined with water, CO 2 and H 2 O form glucose, in which the carbon is already “diamond”. And no high pressure! This means that in a living system (living organisms are up to 90% water), carbon turns from “non-diamond” into “diamond”, and this happens only due to the organization of water!

- Therefore, the diamond structure of carbon is needed for something in a living system?

Certainly! This is high energy! But water does not need monstrous energy costs to create high pressure and temperature for such transformations, it does this at the expense of organization. The most surprising thing is that Vernadsky thought about this fact at the beginning of the 20th century. I sometimes come to the conclusion that a lot has already been done for the knowledge of water, but not everything has been explained. We need to learn how to explain.

- But there are concrete facts, experimental data, and there are a great many interpretations (sometimes polar) of these data. Where does science end and speculation begin? For example, can Masaru Emoto's experiments be trusted?

I am personally acquainted with Masaru Emoto, familiar with his experiments and books. To a large extent, he is a popularizer and a little dreamer. I see the enormous historical role of Masaru Emoto in that he drew the attention of hundreds of millions of people to water. But his experiments do not meet scientific criteria. I was sent a scientific article with the participation of Masaru Emoto for review, and I must admit that the experiment was not set up correctly. For example, the question arises: what is the statistics of crystal formation after listening to this or that music? The statistics in the article are remarkable: the experiments are almost impossible to repeat. At least repeat the way he puts them. Moreover, does the nature of the resulting crystals depend on the photographer (experimenter)? Yes, it depends: some do not succeed, while others do great. But this is some other science. And in order to objectively judge the work of Emoto, we must create a different methodology, a different language and other means of evaluation. Then it will be judged differently.

- So, we must wait for the emergence of a new science?

In fact, we already have such a science, it is ... biology. It is very different from physics. No matter how many times Galileo throws a stone from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the probability spread of the results will be small. But if not a stone is thrown from this very tower, but a crow, then no matter how many times you throw it, where it will fly is always a big question. Ten thousand crows must be thrown to find out where they are, generally speaking, heading. This is completely different. Here we must consider an incomparably greater number of introduced factors than is usually considered in science.

- It turns out that Emoto's experiments are somewhat similar to your example with crows?

But this does not mean at all that such experiments should not be carried out. It only says that today we need to build a new science. But, building it, you need to know the old one. Let me give you an example that shows that science is never absolutely false or absolutely true. Once upon a time there was a model of a flat earth. Today you can laugh at such ideas of ancient scientists. But excuse me, but what model do we use when we mark out our summer cottage? Copernican? No, we need a flat earth model! Nothing else is needed to solve this problem, we are simply engaged in land management. But when it comes to launching a satellite into low Earth orbit, this is a different matter. But the Copernican system is also imperfect. Does it explain the structure of the universe? Not! To clarify this issue, we need to build a new science, but we also need the old science - so that there is something to start from.

- So, scientists will never remain without tricky questions and unsolvable problems.

Certainly! Here's how to explain why birds fly over Everest, at an altitude of 11,000 meters? And from the point of view of physiology, and from the point of view of bioenergy, this is impossible! What are they breathing in? But they fly, and they need something there! And here it is required, I would say, to subdue pride, to admit that we - ah! - there's a lot we don't know yet. But as soon as it comes to water, everything that we already know about it can mislead us, at least today. We think too much about water today. Water is our progenitor, the matrix of life, on the other hand, the global flood is also water, but it washed everything off the face of the earth. And because of our ignorance or a distorted idea of ​​water, we can inadvertently do harm by engaging in all sorts of conspiracies, slander, and so on. If we consider that water is the progenitor of life and life itself, then this life must be treated with great respect. If any life is treated with disrespect, the consequences will not be difficult to guess. So we admit that we still don't know much, much.

Questions were asked by Elena Belega, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.

Water can heal, kill and burn

Vladimir Leonidovich Voeikov

At the Department of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Biological Faculty of Moscow State University, experiments are being carried out on the impact on water. Moreover, scientists do not refuse to deal with people who claim that they can change its properties at a distance. But not people, but water is the main object of research. The professor of the department, doctor of biological sciences Vladimir VOEIKOV told the observer of "MN" about the boom of water in big science.

Vladimir Leonidovich, it's hard to believe that at Moscow State University, the holy of holies of fundamental science, they deal with psychics. What are your experiments?

Several people approached us with a request to test their abilities at their own expense. We conducted an experiment that consisted of the following: we divided the water in the vessel into two portions and placed them in different places in the laboratory. The subjects, who were in a completely different place, but had been with us before, were told exactly where one of the portions was located. Thus, the "impact" was carried out at a distance. What it consisted of, I do not know, but the result was obvious - in the experimental half of the water, oxidative processes went 2-3 times faster. We also conducted experiments with blood samples, where after exposure these processes were activated tenfold. We kept the protocol, all documents exist.

One of the participants has already been checked in many places, including in the West - in Switzerland he has a cosmetology clinic, where appearance defects are corrected without surgical intervention.

And, of course, no hint of an explanation?

I do not undertake to explain this effect. How exactly the subject affects, what he does and feels - I do not know. My task is to investigate whether the properties of water have really changed. If a person were in a laboratory, one could still dream up: sound vibrations, hand passes, thermal energy, microwaves ... But when 2 thousand km separate him and a vessel with water, I don’t even have assumptions. Now there are no full-fledged scientific ideas that could explain this effect at large distances, and much more. One can only state a fact, conduct experiments, but it is still impossible to study the mechanism.

From your point of view, "charged water" is not complete nonsense?

Depending on what is meant by this. Water (although not all) can "consume" oxygen, that is, oxidize - this is reliably known, we have been conducting experiments for many years. Energy is released during an oxidation reaction. Part of it, as it turned out, accumulates in water, and the water becomes biologically active and sensitive to various weak influences, such as radiation. And such water can be "programmed" - that is, to direct the nature of the reactions that take place in it in the right direction. This water will have special properties.

You can influence, for example, vibrations, including sound. Air shaking with a certain rhythm, which resonates with the processes occurring in water, will change its properties. Not every person can do this, and not every water can be affected. For example, it can be cleansed and destructured to such an extent that it becomes "dead".

All this does not sound too scientific, if you do not take into account that literally in the last decade, when interest in the H2O molecule has increased dramatically, scientists have obtained new fundamental knowledge about the properties and structure of water, which have not yet been included in textbooks.

Until recently, biological science has dealt mainly with systematics, the compilation of a "herbarium", down to the molecular level. A living organism was considered only as a set of genes, proteins, carbohydrates. Now began the study of their totality. There is a transition to an incomparably more complex phase - the study of processes. And it turned out that water plays a much more important role here than the one that was assigned to it before. Biology has, throughout its development, overlooked this one of the most important molecules. From the point of view of books, articles, textbooks, all reactions in the body seem to take place on a sheet of white paper or in a vacuum. In fact, they do occur in water. Is it possible, delving into the fine structure of molecules, not to take into account this living ocean? This is a very complex system - there is no water as such, it is different every time, gases, salts, biomolecules are dissolved in it. That is, the water is structured. The advanced area today is just the study of the structure, dynamics, reactions occurring in water.

At the end of October, the first major conference dedicated specifically to the study of water from the point of view of biology, biochemistry, biophysics, etc. will be held in Vermont. By the way, Russia occupies a leading position in these studies, and it is no coincidence that the organizers of the conference (Washington State University) seek to attract as many of our scientists as possible. And the congress "Weak and Superweak Fields and Radiation in Biology and Medicine" has just been held in St. Petersburg. It is held for the fourth time, and every year more and more attention is paid to water. This is no coincidence. Human exposure to electromagnetic radiation is a proven fact. But until recently, it was not clear what exactly they act on? In terms of strength and intensity, such influences are weak, but the effect can be strong. These are "small bullets" that must hit some very large target.

Is this the water?

Yes, they work through water systems. But it should not be just water, but a special one, where free-radical reactions take place. A free radical is, by its very nature, a micromagnet. And if the external magnetic fields change, then these reactions in the water, of which the living organism mainly consists, begin to flow along a different channel. Fortunately, our body is quite tightly regulated, so it can only be confused by repeated influences superimposed on one another. If a person is in a stable state, they have a training effect, this is a shake-up, as a result of which a healthy body will become even healthier. In a state of imbalance, this effect leads to deterioration. A new term has even appeared in medicine - desynchronosis, that is, a violation of the interdependence of body processes in response to the action of external destructive factors. This is where resonant medicine appeared - weak influences (magnetic, sound, physiotherapy, homeopathy), - returning the body to its usual rhythm.

Can all this be fixed, translated, so to speak, onto a material basis?

Methods for studying these complex processes are just emerging. Take, for example, homeopathy. How can a substance act when there is not a single molecule of it in solution?! In terms of traditional chemistry, physics cannot. However, new physical methods have now been developed (this was presented at the congress) that make it possible to clearly distinguish solutions that originally contained certain substances from those where this substance never existed. They show that the water has retained the memory of the substance that was once in solution, despite being heavily diluted.

One of your reports was devoted to the "bioenergy of water". What it is?

Water is not only the main perceiving substance, but also our main "fuel", which determines the energy of a living organism. Energy is obtained, as is known, as a result of oxidation. When burning, it is released in the form of light, and when smoldering - in the form of heat. Classical bioenergetics considers only the process of smoldering, when energy is released in small portions. But combustion processes also take place in a living organism, but until very recently these reactions were considered exclusively as pathological. They are associated with the so-called free radicals, reactive oxygen species, and fight them with the help of antioxidants. It's a buzzword right now. It turns out that an antioxidant is something that prevents oxidation, but it is precisely as a result of oxidation that we get energy. So he deprives us of energy?! What will we live on? Fortunately, this is not the case, and in fact, antioxidants are combustion stimulants, just not everyone understands this. The same vitamin C is a powerful oxygen activator.

I proceed from the fact that our bioenergy is based precisely on combustion. The water that makes up the body can burn, that is, directly oxidized by oxygen. And this reaction goes on continuously in the blood thanks to antibodies - molecules that fight foreign factors. However, combustion can be both beneficial and harmful. You can "burn alive" - ​​when an autoimmune reaction begins in the body, excessive activation of the immune system. But this rarely happens, much more often the body does not burn, but "smolders" - this is nothing but chronic diseases. And you need to fight this with the help of active oxygen - air enriched with ozone, Chizhevsky's chandeliers, ionizers. And drinking water can have a positive effect on the body, support combustion processes - for example, water from springs, mountain streams. And "empty", energetically poor water can, on the contrary, take away energy.

All this and much more was said by outstanding minds a few decades ago, but no one took them seriously. And only now we are rediscovering this vast, almost unknown continent, but already from the standpoint of experimental science.

The attitude to this topic is still not unambiguous. It is unlikely that you will be able to get many grants for such research ...

For the first time, grants for quantum physics began to be allocated by the military departments, by the way, for this topic too. The business begins to allocate money. The conference in the United States, which I mentioned, is being held under the auspices of a large high-tech company, Vermont Photonics. And we are working on this topic mainly under economic agreements. At the end of this year, a plant for the production of various drinks will start operating near Moscow, where there will be a workshop for the production of "biologically active" water (containing active oxygen). We analyze this water, give recommendations on how to optimize the technological process. So there are businessmen both in the West and in Russia who understand that oil will run out sooner or later, but water is eternal.